Biomass conversion into highly useful chemicals
SAPNA JAIN, Alabama State University
This is CURE based course that aims at bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge in chemistry and its practical applications at solving real-world problems. It gives students an opportunity to construct and synthesize their knowledge and skills by learning to apply theoretical knowledge to practice by the laboratory research. The purpose of this course is to acquaint students with the fundamental concepts of chemistry, synthetic methods and techniques. The emphasis will be on novel catalysts synthesis and evaluating their activity towards biomass conversion to liquid fuel and useful chemicals. Students will design synthesize, deduce identities of the biomass conversion products from chemical and spectral clues, and predict reaction products.

Module 8: Managed Retreat/Multi-Layered Protection
diane maygarden, University of New Orleans; Ioannis Georgiou, University of New Orleans
Should residents rebuild or retreat after a major hurricane or repeated coastal flooding? In this module we take the question further to look at some of the alternatives to rebuilding in place while strengthening ...

Community Flood Risk Assessment from Rising/Surging Seas Project
Kevin Kupietz, Elizabeth City State University
Globally 634 million people, 10% of the world's population, live in coastal areas less than 10 meters above sea level. According to 2010 census data, 123 million people, 39% of the United States population, live in coastal counties with an estimated increase to this number by 8% in the 2020 census. As natural disasters have been seen to increase in frequency and severity in the past five years coupled with expected sea rises from climate change it is important that anyone involved with the safety and resiliency planning of their organization/community have an understanding of how to scientifically assess risk from flooding in order to mitigate and recover from the effects. This project allows students the ability to develop skills to utilize computer modeling systems and to apply the data to real world communities in examining risk to structures as well as different groups in the community.

Unit 9. Planning and Decision-Making
Gigi Richard, Fort Lewis College
Unit 9 is a group activity that requires students to apply the material they have learned in Units 1–8 in an urban water system design project. Students are presented with a scenario and are required to select ...

Unit 6. Rainwater Harvesting
Steven Burian, University of Utah; Manoj Jha, North Carolina A & T State University; Gigi Richard, Fort Lewis College; Marshall Shepherd, University of Georgia
Unit 6 covers the preliminary design of a rainwater harvesting unit. Pre-class assignments provide background on rainwater harvesting. An active learning exercise steps student teams through the process of sizing a ...

Unit 5. Net Zero Water Buildings
Steven Burian, University of Utah; Gigi Richard, Fort Lewis College; Manoj Jha, North Carolina A & T State University; Marshall Shepherd, University of Georgia
Unit 5 addresses the concept of Net Zero Water of buildings. Net Zero Water can be defined in different ways. For this module it means a building's water needs are supplied 100% from harvested rainwater or ...

Unit 4. Urban Landscapes and Water Use
Gigi Richard, Fort Lewis College
Students are introduced to evapotranspiration (ET) and how ET varies with meteorological factors and plant factors. A pre-class video and worksheet introduce students to estimating landscape water needs from ET and ...

Unit 2. Urban Hydrology
Manoj Jha, North Carolina A & T State University
Unit 2 engages students in topics related to the water cycle, both from natural and urban system perspectives. Students are assigned approximately 30 minutes of reading (short article) and are required to watch a ...

Unit 7. Low Impact Development and Green Infrastructure
Steven Burian, University of Utah; Manoj Jha, North Carolina A & T State University; Gigi Richard, Fort Lewis College; Marshall Shepherd, University of Georgia
Unit 7 continues the use of the CME Building Case Study to explore water sustainability in the context of a building. The activity is extended to the catchment level, and a new tool for catchment level storm water ...

Water Sustainability in Cities
Water Sustainability in Cities Steven Burian (University of Utah) Manoj Jha (North Carolina A&T University) Gigi Richard (Colorado Mesa University) Marshall Shepherd (University of Georgia) Editor: John Taber (IRIS Consortium)
This nine-unit module addresses the grand challenge of water system sustainability in cities, and includes aspects of hydrologic and atmospheric processes, clean water, low-impact development, green ...